On Sept. 23, Daniel Bennett joined the staff of the Bemidji State University Foundation to oversee BSU’s athletic annual giving program, serve as Beaver Pride coordinator and act as liaison to the alumni B-Club.

“We are pleased to have Dan join our development team,” Foundation Executive Director Rob Bollinger said. “As a BSU graduate and former Beaver student-athlete he is truly dedicated to the university.”

Beaver fans are invited to meet Bennett Friday, Sept. 27, where he will be attending BSU’s 11 a.m. Beaver Pride Luncheon. The luncheon, which will be held in Walnut Hall on the BSU campus, is open to the public. Tickets are available at the door for $8.

Bennett’s relationship with Bemidji State goes back nearly a decade, starting with his time as an undergraduate. For the last three years, he has been an assistant coach on BSU’s baseball coaching staff under head coach Tim Bellew. During his coaching tenure, Bennett mentored two players who gained All-America honors and the program’s first Academic All-America honoree. He was also part of a 2012 staff that helped lead the Beavers to a 25-22 record, tied for the second-most wins in program history.

Following his playing career as catcher at BSU, Bennett also spent two years involved in games management as agraduate assistant while pursuing his master’s degree. In that capacity, he was responsible for creating a positive game environment, setting up, tearing down and staffing all BSU athletic events.

Bennett also has spent the last six summers in Bemidji, where he was on the grounds crew at the BSU baseball field.

Bennett, a native of Hayfield, Minn., is a 2010 graduate of BSU and obtained a degree in technology education with a coaching specialty. He earned a masters degree in sports studies from Bemidji State in 2013.